How Many Racists Does It Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?

[RUFFHAUS 8]

All this talk of "spades" reminds me of one of those all too few redeeming scenes from the Police Academy movies. In it one of the w@nker/bad-guy cops remarks at a gathering of new academey recruits ".... there sure are a lot of spades here." As he's turning around to view the scene further he come face to chest with Bubba Smith playing a new recruit, and qualifies his comment with "...which is good!"

Hell I don't know, I've probably offended half of you by telling this little anticdote.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


The word can be used as an derrogatory term for Black people.

I don't know the etymology of the phrase, but it means being afraid to say things as they really are.

It also means a type of shovel, and is one of the suits in a deck of cards (not tarrot). The derrogatory usage comes from the later usage of the word, from the phrase, "Black as the Ace of Spades."

And I'm pretty sure that "call a spade a spade" comes from the derrogatory meaning of the word, not from the conventional definitions. I don't remember where I heard that, but I remember learning that somewhere. I was actually going to post something about his choice of phrase, but you beat me to it.

[Caligastia]

I never heard the spade one before, must be american...

[GePap]

defining racism

To me, racism means assigning moral and value judgements to catagories created by grouping individuals based on phisiological features. Thus, because some groups of people, for environmental reasons, have a different level of melanin in their system,or different facial structure, we state that all such persons are members of a group with specific values, which can be seen as superior or inferior.
The sillyness of this system, I think, is self-apparent. At the same time, saying this does not remove that fact that people are biologically conditioned to be somewhat more anxious around people who look very different than around people who look similar. felling uncomfortable when you are the only person with some type of phisiological feature that no one else in the area shares, I feel is normal. Making a value judgements based on this is not.

As for recognizing someones race- whether this is offensive or not is completely based on the values of the person being addressed. Someone who does not believe in racial classification, or finds it morally dubious will not want their race to be 'recognized', someone who does will.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Caligastia


To me racism is a hateful thing. I dont hate anyone because of their race, I just state the facts as I see them. I am not predjudiced toward anyone because of their race. I am just as likely to accept you as a friend no matter what race you are and I dont have a problem living with other races. I live in New York City - one of the most racially diverse places on earth. Do you think I would stay here if I was a bigot? I have never had a problem with relocating. I have moved to different countries and continents several times in my life, so if I disliked other races so much I would move.

The Encarta definition is incomplete. Any definition of racism should mention hate.

So, there are no racists in New York? Have all the bigots moved away?

You claim that you are just stating the facts. What you are actually doing is stating racist myths. These myths may reflect negative or positive attributes on a race, but in the end, these myths are not true.

To say, for example, that blacks are great athletes is a racist myth that is incorrect. There are many fat black people who are terrible athletes.

A racist decision could be free of hate and yet still hurt a person. Let's say you're a hockey coach and your best friend is black. His son wants to play hockey. If you look at the kid and decide that he can't play cause blacks are terrible hockey players then that would be an unfair racist decision, even if you really like the kid.

(By the way, the top point scorer in the NHL this year is black.)

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Tingkai
(By the way, the top point scorer in the NHL this year is black.)

And man, would he look good in a Red Wing uniform. I'll give you Federov AND his wife.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Tingkai


So, there are no racists in New York? Have all the bigots moved away?

Maybe not, but I doubt they are as mobile as I am.

Originally posted by Tingkai

You claim that you are just stating the facts. What you are actually doing is stating racist myths. These myths may reflect negative or positive attributes on a race, but in the end, these myths are not true.

...in your opinion

Originally posted by Tingkai

To say, for example, that blacks are great athletes is a racist myth that is incorrect. There are many fat black people who are terrible athletes.

You can never apply a blanket statement to a race regarding physical fitness or intelligence because there are always exceptions, but I would say that blacks are generally physically superior. Why do you think they do so well in american sports? Natural selection in africa favored the strongest and fastest.

Originally posted by Tingkai

A racist decision could be free of hate and yet still hurt a person. Let's say you're a hockey coach and your best friend is black. His son wants to play hockey. If you look at the kid and decide that he can't play cause blacks are terrible hockey players then that would be an unfair racist decision, even if you really like the kid.

(By the way, the top point scorer in the NHL this year is black.)

But that is a stupid decision because there is no reason to believe blacks are worse at hockey.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Caligastia
You can never apply a blanket statement to a race regarding physical fitness or intelligence because there are always exceptions, but I would say that blacks are generally physically superior. Why do you think they do so well in american sports? Natural selection in africa favored the strongest and fastest.

So, natural selection in Europe or Asia would favour the slowest and the weakest? Why would Africa be any different than the rest of the world.

Your theory falls to pieces anyways because most blacks in the US come from families that have not lived in Africa for centuries.

Even if we try to make large generalizations, race doesn't tell us a lot about a person. Africa is a gigantic place. People there have different genetic traits. So to make a sweeping generalization, IIRC, people from Ethiopia tend to have bodies that are better for sprinting. People from Nigeria are more heavyset and muscular, say like a boxer. But even in these two countries there is a wide variety of body types.

These differences have more to do with eating habits than with a racial characteristic.

IIRC, blacks in the US have a higher obesity rate than whites. That's due to different cultural eating habits.

In China, the people in the north have traditionally been taller than those in the south. That may reflect the fact that in the north, people eat wheat-based food while rice is the staple food in the south. The height difference is changing as places like Hong Kong have become economically developed. Young people here tend to be far taller than their parents.

Like I said, your "facts" are myths.

[Goingonit]

There are physiological conclusions that don't mean racism. For instance, "a Chinese person is more likely to have narrow eyes than a Brit" is true, and no moral conclusions are drawn.

[Urban Ranger]

Is racism always hate? I would say no. I posit that involves actions or ideas that are solely based on a person's race, such that these actions and ideas either indicate or imply said person to be superior or inferior.

It is not racism when characteristics are used merely for distinction.

So saying that "blacks are great athletes" (while other races are not as good) is racism, while saying "US pro sports are dominated by blacks" is not.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Tingkai


So, natural selection in Europe or Asia would favour the slowest and the weakest? Why would Africa be any different than the rest of the world.

Natural selection in colder climates favours intelligence. Thats why the northern chinese are generally more intelligent than the southern.

Originally posted by Tingkai
Your theory falls to pieces anyways because most blacks in the US come from families that have not lived in Africa for centuries.

It doesnt matter, they still have the genetic inheritance of their ancestors.

Originally posted by Tingkai
Even if we try to make large generalizations, race doesn't tell us a lot about a person. Africa is a gigantic place. People there have different genetic traits. So to make a sweeping generalization, IIRC, people from Ethiopia tend to have bodies that are better for sprinting. People from Nigeria are more heavyset and muscular, say like a boxer. But even in these two countries there is a wide variety of body types.

Of course there are variations, but as I said, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Originally posted by Tingkai
These differences have more to do with eating habits than with a racial characteristic.

Quite possibly. I dont discount environmental influences.

Originally posted by Tingkai
IIRC, blacks in the US have a higher obesity rate than whites. That's due to different cultural eating habits.

I agree.

Originally posted by Tingkai
In China, the people in the north have traditionally been taller than those in the south. That may reflect the fact that in the north, people eat wheat-based food while rice is the staple food in the south. The height difference is changing as places like Hong Kong have become economically developed. Young people here tend to be far taller than their parents.

Like I said, your "facts" are myths.

You havent disproven anything.

[Ramo]

Natural selection in colder climates favours intelligence.

Evidence for this assertion, please.

I think two things need to be pointed out:
1. The current inhabitants of Europe (a branch of the Indo-Europeans), with several exceptions (Basques, Finns, etc.), are originally from Eastern Anatolia.
2. Homo Sapiens Sapiens came from Africa. They wiped out the inferior Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis and Homo Erectus, in Europe and Asia, respectively.

[Ramo]

BTW, Cali, are the Inuit ubermenschen?

[Tingkai]

So Caligastia, you agree that blacks in the US have a higher obesity rate than white, and yet at the same time you say blacks are physically superior. The two are contridictory, or do you think that being extremely fat is a superior form of physical fitness.

As for the claim that "Natural selection in colder climates favours intelligence," if that was true then the cradle of civilization would have been in the far north and the Inuit would be the leaders in science.

The idea that Northern Chinese are smarter than southern Chinese is laughable.

By the way, the idea that Blacks dominate US pro sports is a myth. There are very few blacks in the NHL and the number of black baseball players has been on the decline for the past 20-odd years.

Top 5 HR leaders in MLB last year were: Bonds, Sosa, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Helton
Top 5 batting avg: Walker, Suzuki, Giambi, Alomar, Helton.
ERA: Johnson, Schilling, Burkett, Maddux, Garcia.

[Shi Huangdi]

Your Results Page # 1 Colorblind
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